gley

the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley

proverb Said when something ends poorly or differently than expected, despite preparations for success. It comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse," which itself is a play on the proverb "the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray." ("Gang aft a-gley" means "go oft astray" in Scottish vernacular.) I always thought our marriage was stable and that we'd be together forever. I guess it's true what they say, though—the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley. A: "I've been working on this project for six months, and now, right before it's due, they tell me they want something completely different." B: "That's rough. The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley, I suppose."
See also: aft, gang, men, mice, scheme
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

best-laid plans of mice and men oft(en) go astray,

 and best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley.
Prov. Things often go wrong even though you have carefully planned what you are going to do. (The gang aft a-gley version is Scots dialect, and comes from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse.") Jill: I reserved a hotel room for us three weeks ago, but now the clerk says he has no record of our reservation. So much for our fun weekend in the city. Jane: Well, these things happen. The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. I had all the arrangements made for my party, and then the guest of honor got sick and I had to call the whole thing off. The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft a-gley. If a little rain can ruin the best-laid plans of mice and men, think what an earthquake might do!
See also: and, astray, go, men, mice, of, oft, plan
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • best-laid plans go astray, the
  • the best-laid plans
  • the best-laid plans go astray
  • the best-laid plans of mice and men
  • teach a man to fish
  • village
  • it takes a village
  • bad workers always blame their tools
  • a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
  • a little learning is a dangerous thing
References in periodicals archive
Functional diversity as determined as Shannon diversity index (H') of total respiration response following the addition of 15 substrates to baseline, urine and water treatments (soil types averaged; n = 27) and for Allophanic (n = 27), Brown (n = 9), Gley (n = 27) and Recent (n = 18) soil orders (treatments averaged).
Bovine urine inhibits microbial function and increases urea turnover in dairy grazed soils
The tread + dung treatment accounted for ~50% of TP losses for the Brown soil, followed by 45, 65, and 45% of TP losses for the Melanic, Pallic, and Recent Gley soils, respectively.
Do aggregation, treading, and dung deposition affect phosphorus and suspended sediment losses in surface runoff?
Overall, Allophanic soils had greater amounts of mineralisable OC than non-Allophanic soils, but there was no evidence for differences in mineralisable OC among the other Soil Orders (Brown, Gley, Pallic, Recent) under either land use.
Assessing the vulnerability of organic matter to C mineralisation in pasture and cropping soils of New Zealand
total C in the A horizon of Pumice and Gley soils).
Nutrient leaching and changes in soil characteristics of four contrasting soils irrigated with secondary-treated municipal wastewater for four years
All but the wettest VWC step of the Pumice and Gley soils were done at temperatures between 3.1 and 4.9[degrees]C, with an average of 4.1[degrees]C.
Laboratory calibrations of water content reflectometers and their in-situ verification
In his address, Gley tied in concepts of King's cause to the present day, arguing that a lack of acceptance for Syrian refugees in the United States reflects a historically long pattern of paranoia-based discrimination.
Springfield students honor Martin Luther King Jr
Gley added that Tunisia offers to international operators a modern telecommunication infrastructure, a favourable business environment and qualified human resources.
Tunisia and "Linux Professional Institute" (LPI) consider boosting partnership
The room was an add-on created for Gley, strategically placed above the garage to minimize the sound for his mother, two brothers, dog, two cats and 42-year-old parrot.
He's got the beat
Summary: President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali took interest, when meeting on Friday morning with Communication Technologies Minister El Hadj Gley, in the development of telecommunications networks and services, as part of carrying out the programmes and large-scale projects the Head of State had ordered with a view to backing up national development action.
President Ben Ali takes interest in development of telecommunications networks and services
Mike Lan- gley, who works as the director of the agency's drop-in center for teens, said Tuesday he remains surprised that Alloway is in jail.
POLICE SAY MAN POSED AS OFFICER FOR YEARS
El Hadj Gley, Minister of Communication technologies and Mr Wolfgang Kroh, Chairman of the LHS Board, was held at the Ministry of Communication Technologies, focusing on cooperation opportunities between Tunisia and the multinational regarding the positive results in this sector.
LSH/ Ericson Group to strengthen partnership with Tunisian ICT sector
El Hadj Gley, Minister of Communication Technology, stressed the opportunities Teleworking centers offer in strengthening investment and employment in innovative sectors.
Gafsa hosts workshop on Teleworking Centers
The scheme has been fina nc ed by the Welsh Assembly and backed by the Bradford and Bin gley Building Society.
Chance to lead their own lives